3-2!

                                        

My mom (tat-tat) found all these pictures, sweets has always kind of been my thing.  And I think my boys look like their dad, but these pictures prove otherwise...

When your birthday is 3 days after Christmas I think everyone feels bad for you so they over compensate.  And really at this age, when your birthday is 3 days after Christmas you could care less about doing anything at all.  So 'lucky' me, I was filled to the brim with gifts and cakes and brunches and lunches and dinners and happy birthdays!  And Charlie and I finally made it to SoCo Farms in Wilson for a birthday dinner.  Ya'll, maybe my new favorite restaurant.

My only birthday request, pedicures and coffee and adult conversation.  He will be back!

A mini 'teenies tappas' reunion with some of my favorite people in the whole wide world.

Gifts from my boys.  They went to Target! Will you share with us mom?!

Just when you think the celebrations are over and your gonna start eating healthy, UNC brings out an oreo mini cake.  We took it down.  

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  We had a holly jolly Christmas and I hope you and yours did too.  Thank you God for all my many blessings!

Christmas Eve.  It rained all day long so we stayed in our pajamas.  Decorating Christmas tree cookies for Santa Clause.

Children's service at our church.  We made it through the entire service.  Highlights included Nash yelling, 'When is Jesus's Birthday party?' 'I pooped my pants!' And Jackson 'Oh my gahh it smells like someone is pooting so much!' 'That guy has pink hair, that is a weird color to do your hair!  He must go to church on Saturdays.'  But we survived and even got to hold candles and sing Silent Night.  Quite possibly my favorite part of Christmas.  

After church we had dinner and opened some Christmas presents from each other.  Theo got wrapping paper because that is what he liked the most and that is all he needed.  Third boy.

Christmas morning.  Santa came!  He keeps it simple around here.  Jackson got his baseball stadium and Nash his dart board.

Theo got some puffs.  Third boy.

We headed to Goldsboro for a big Christmas lunch with the entire Winslow clan.  We ate and ate and then played football with our cousins.  Perfection.

Then we headed to Wilson for Christmas at Grandmama and Granddaddy's house.  We had a big ol Christmas dinner, opened some more presents and rubbed on bellies.  I am going to be an aunt again in April!

Big cousins Christmas movie and popcorn to round out a fabulous Christmas.

Hannah & Nate

All the way from Caalliiforrniaaa… the Fowlers were home for the Holidays.  We have been loving spending time with 'Hannah-Banana' and 'Nate-da-bate' as Nash would say and their awesome parents this past week. They left this morning, booohoooo, but thankfully tomorrow is Christmas so we have plenty to do besides wallow in our sorrows.  It was an awesome visit.  All of the cousins have just reached the age that they can play (and fight) with each other.  Come back soon please!

Tat-Tat wanted an annual picture on the step with all her grand-babes.  We did get them all on the steps at the same time?!

Loving on our newest cousin sweet baby Nate!

First dinner stop, Dick's Hotdog Stand.  They are regs.

A trip to Marbles Museum!  Racing cars, and kids, down the track with Will.

Some serious hockey going on.  Keep the stick down!

Bedtime stories with Chawwlyyy.

Brooklyn turned 1 years old!! Happy Happy Birthday sweet girl.  

Breakfast with our cousins and it snowed!!??!  

Hey Nate the Great, meet Superman.

Family lunch at the one the only, Jersey Mike's!  I mean someone has to work...

Christmas at Tat and Will's house.  Everyone was very friendly and excited and helpful and kind and shared, much to my surprise!

What she get? What she get? What she get?

Decorating the gingerbread man.  Not sure why Tat still has her shirt on?!

Some serious chit-chat going on between these two.  How about them apples?

Success!

We went to Southern Season this afternoon for gingerbread cookie decorating and to 'look' at Santa.  Success!  Nash didn't sit in Santa's lap or touch him but Ms. Clause knew how to real him in… chocolate!

Concentration.

Determination.

7 months

Happy 7 months sweet Theo.  You enjoyed your day with a trip to Marbles museum with your cousins where you gnawed on everything you could get your hands on, because that is what you like to do these days.  You love sitting up by yourself and watching your big brothers.  You like pretty much all fruit and veggies and have just started to figure out how to put 'puffs' in your mouth.  You take 2 - 3 short naps a day.  I would love it if we could have 2 longer ones but I don't think we are ever in a quiet spot long enough for that to happen.  You are only getting up about once a night and really it is around 5am.  I can feed you and you will go back to sleep.  Like I said on last month post… we need to work on putting a stop to that.  You are starting to really like your mom.  And I can't put you down.  You are the happiest little fellow I know!

Teef!

What's that?

Hizzouuuzzz

It took a little longer than expected, what house project doesn't, but our house has been resided.  I am in love with how everything turned out.  Minus light fixtures, screens and new glass doors we are done!  I never knew how much we used our garage before this project.  Home sweet home…

Before, I didn't get a close up, it wasn't pretty.

During. Rise and shine!

Almost there, except they forgot to take the porta-potty...

Taa-Daa!!  New siding (Hardie Plank, Woodstock Brown), shutters, red front door, whitentrim etc.  Pictures don't do it justice. So, come see us!

Sunday night meltdowns...

Sometimes we forget we have 3 young kids that still need naps and bedtimes and real food.  Sunday around 7pm...

This weekend the two older boys got to have a sleepover at Grandmama and Granddaddy's house with their cousins! (insert meltdown, where is grandmama? why isn't she here yet? when are we going?) They did the Christmas Train, Breakfast with Santa, made cookies, watched movies, stayed up late and got up early.  Charlie and I were going to get a baby-sitter and make a night of it, but when I suggested take-out, champagne, and a movie in our pj's he was all for it.  Sometimes that is just what I need.  Saturday I baked up some Christmas 'bark' and did a little decorating with Theo as workers finished up on the outside of our house (whoop whoop).  I picked up the big guys. (insert meltdown for obvious reasons, who ever wants to leave grandparents house) We all went to a Christmas cocktail aka cookie party at our neighbors that afternoon and had a great time.  Such a great time that we missed the neighborhood caroling (insert meltdown, how did we miss it? why did we miss it? where is everyone? who are the worst parents ever?).  Sunday cousins came up this way and went to the basketball game while I went to the musical Annie with my niece and sister-in-law!  Girls day!  (insert meltdown, why can't boys go?)  Then we were going to meet my parents and cousin Brooklyn for dinner but I knew it might not go so well so everyone came here for hibachi and football.  Then we made them take baths.  (insert meltdown, how could we?)  I love these maniacs so much.  Thank goodness.

Jolly Old Elf

We visited Santa at University Mall this past week.  I highly recommend it.  The Santa was great and no one else was in the entire mall.  So you can take your sweet time, which is exactly what we did.  

Sweet Jackson wants a baseball stadium.  Fair enough.

Sweet Nash is wondering if he really wants anything bad enough to actually go tell Santa.  His mean mama won't even go get a candy cane for him.

He took matters into his own hands.  Thanks for the candy cane Santa.  See ya sucka!

Hey! This big guy seems pretty nice to me!  Let me see that beard!

Christmas Program

Ahhh, the pre-school Christmas program.  Every outgoing goofy child's dream come true (Jackson) and every shy non-attention wanting child's nightmare (Nash).  No surprises this year, Jackson sang all the songs, smiled and did a lot of yawing, can we say relaxed?  Nash sat at the very bottom and stared.  He did not cry or get up the whole time!  Ten minutes later it was over and we were off to brunch, what everyone was really waiting for.

Handsome Shepherd

Handsome 'I am not gonna sing.' Nash. (oh, we know)

Handsome little bro and pretty Nanny Nat!

All I want for Christmas..

is my two front teeth!  Those tiny little pearly whites have been spotted coming in on the bottom.  What is happening to my tiny little baby!

Gimme dat apple!

(aghhh, his hair, whoops, we gotta work on that trim.  I am reminded daily why God gave me boys.)

O' Christmas Tree

I showed Jackson a picture of some friends who had gone to the mountains to pick out their own tree and cut it down.  Isn't that pretty cool I asked him.  He replied, good thing we don't have to do that, we have Christmas trees right by our house!  He got every single ounce of his mama's practicality gene.  Let's be real, I will never drive to the mountains for a tree.  Bah-humbug, I know.  But we found a good one and everyone was excited…

'OHHH YEAHHH, LOOK AT THIS ONE, OHHH YEAHHH!' This was said about every single tree.  We are easy to please.

The lighting of the tree!  Everyone was really pumped…

(Hey Greta!  Although she doesn't get much press, she is still here, all up in EVERYTHING.)

Jackson was all about WHEN CAN WE DECORATE THE TREE.  Until it came time to actually decorate the tree.  

Nash likes to pick his limb and really focus in it.